UNITED States Vice President, Kamala Harris, has hit the ground running as she battles to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic party’s presidential nominee, having secured the backing of several top party figures.
Shortly after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her as his replacement, Harris said: “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party, and unite our nation, to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now.”
She added: “Trump said he was going to stand up to Big Pharma and lower the cost of prescription drugs, instead, he bowed down.
“President @JoeBiden and I took on Big Pharma and have capped the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month.
“As Vice President, I see @JoeBiden when the cameras are on and when the cameras are off, in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room and on the campaign trail. Joe Biden is a leader who fights for the American people.
“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump would sign a national abortion ban and restrict access to contraception if given the chance. That is what’s at stake in November.”
After weeks of speculation, Biden confirmed he will not be running in November against Trump and also endorsed Harris as the next Democratic nominee.
Biden had announced on Sunday, July 21, that he was stepping down from this year’s US presidential race. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president.
“And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down,” he said in an online post.
The 81-year-old President has been facing calls to resign since his debate against Trump three weeks ago, where he seemed frail, was struggling to focus and slurring his words. Before the statement on Sunday, however, Biden tried to project defiance and repeatedly dismissed those calls.
While confirming he would not be running against Trump at the November election, Biden indicated he would be staying on as President until the end of his term, thanking Harris for being an “extraordinary partner.”
Soon after, Biden endorsed Harris as the next Democratic nominee, and if the Democrats align behind Harris, it would avoid a complicated and potentially acrimonious process within the party to find a new candidate and mount their own campaign to challenge Trump.
Biden is the oldest man to ever be elected as the US President, with his rival Trump being the second oldest President in history.
Biden, whose advanced age had prompted concerns about his mental acuity and ability to lead, in his message, however, drew attention to his achievements in office, praising his “historic investments” in rebuilding the US and unprecedented climate legislation, adding: “America has never been better position to lead than we are today.”
The President, who bowed to pressure to withdraw from the race, in the announcement on his X platform, expressed his “heartfelt appreciation,” thanking Harris, who he described as an “extraordinary partner.”
He added: “And let me express my heartfelt appreciation for the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
“I believe today and always have: that there is nothing America can’t do, when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
He said he would address the nation on the matter next week.
Last week, he returned to his home in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID, but said on Friday, July 19, that he was looking forward to “getting back on the campaign trail next week.”
He has previously said only the “Lord Almighty” could make him withdraw, but then later said he would consider withdrawing if he had a health condition.
But Trump insisted Biden “was not fit to run for President.”
Biden, in a statement endorsing Harris, said: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.
“Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats, it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Harris has 107 days to put together a campaign against Trump following Biden’s withdrawal from the race and id she emerges as the Democrats nominee.
Early signs suggest that Harris has work to do in a massive swing state to keep it from falling into Trump‘s hands.
Harris, a former California senator and attorney general, who is the presumptive nominee, has 107 days to build a campaign around herself to beat Trump.
While she has the backing of Biden and already many of her would-be challengers to the nomination, she also has to find a way to hang on to the several purple states Biden flipped in 2020 to win the race.
One of those states, Georgia, now poses a problem for Harris, as a poll taken just prior to Biden dropping out shows her trailing.
In a poll conducted from July 9 to 18, surveying 1,000 Georgians, Trump leads Harris by a 51-46 count. One per cent of those surveyed said they would vote for a third-party candidate, while another two per cent are undecided.
While that is a poor result for Harris, one thing to hang her hat on is that she polled better than her boss with the same voters.
In the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, Trump led Biden by a count of 48 to 45. While Biden trailed Trump by fewer points, Harris starts at a better number and comes out of the poll with a few other positives.
New polling shows Harris has better chance than Biden, but would still lose to Trump. Harris polls higher than Biden among both registered Democrats- 92 per cent vs. 86 per cent- and black voters- 91 per cent to 82 per cent- both key demographics for the party.
However, she begins underwater, in terms of favourability, with 42 per cent of those polled saying they view her positively and 53 per cent having an unfavourable view of her.
In the same polling, Biden’s favourability was at 41 per cent vs. 57 per cent, who view her unfavourably.
She also has work to do with independents, where she trails Trump by a potentially fatal 11 points.
Biden defeated Trump by just 11,779 votes in 2020 and is the subject of one of the many lawsuits Trump faces over election interference.
Before that, the last Democrat to win the presidential race in the Peach State was Bill Clinton in 1992. The state remains a toss-up electorally, as the GOP still holds the governor’s mansion, while Democrats now own both senate seats.
Trump has said already that he thinks Harris will be even easier to defeat than Biden. At his first rally after escaping assassination, Trump tried out a new nickname for her, as he saw the writing on the wall for Harris taking over the Democrats’ campaign.
“From the moment we take back the White House from crooked Joe Biden and Kamala … I call her laughing Kamala. You ever watch her? She’s crazy,” Trump said at his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday, July 20.
He added: “You can tell a lot by laughter she’s crazy. She’s nuts. She’s not as crazy as Nancy [Pelosi].”
The former President also took to his Truth Social account on Sunday afternoon to respond to the news that he will no longer face Biden in November, writing: “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve. And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.
“All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t.’
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly.”
Biden was not yet the Democratic Party’s official nominee and there is still a short time to replace him before the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month and avoid an open convention.
The party’s nomination event falls August 19 to 22 in Chicago, Illinois. It now appears that Harris will be at the top of the Democratic ticket by the end of that week after primary voters cast their ballots for Biden to be the nominee.
Harris was initially furious over reports she was not being considered for the spot, but it soon became clear to Democrats she was the best option to replace Biden.
Now kicks off the veepstakes for the current VP to choose her No. 2. Among the shortlist could be the likes of California Governor, Gavin Newsom, and Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, both previously floated as potential replacements for Biden if he would drop out.
A local NBC affiliate in Sacramento, California reported on Sunday that Newsom has abruptly canceled his appearance at the U.S. Ninth Circuit judicial conference scheduled for Monday, July 22, without any reason given.
Trump was among those that speculated former First Lady, Michelle Obama, would jump in the race and lead the 2024 Democratic ticket. She so far has polled best out of any other potential Biden replacements.
But Biden made it clear that he is backing his VP for the 2024 race.
(Additional reports from DailyMail)
